Twitter Reactions: Dasun Shanaka shines again to lead Dambulla Viiking to victory

Tuesdays are normally considered as the boring days of the week. However, with the LPL going on, we had a double header for all cricket fans to enjoy. It was a match between the Dambulla Viiking and the Colombo Kings. The former won the toss and opted to bat first. Captain Angelo Mathews mentioned that Andre Russell was ready to bowl which was definitely great news for them.

The Dambulla side got off to a decent start as they scored 45 runs in the powerplay at the cost of two wickets. Upul Tharanga and Samit Patel got off to good starts but were unable to capitalize on it. The former scored 25 runs in 24 balls while the latter scored 30 in 27.

However, their captain Dasun Shanaka stepped up once again as he scored a brilliant 56 off just 34 deliveries. He hit three boundaries and four sixes to take the attack to his opponents. Malinda Pushpakumara provided the finishing impetus by scoring 11 runs in three balls. The Colombo side managed to reach 175-9 at the end of their 20 overs.

Laurie Evans’ efforts go in vain as the Kings fall short by 28 runs

176 was definitely a chaseable total for a strong Colombo line-up. However, they got off to a very bad start. Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed on the very first ball of their innings by Samit Patel. At the end of the powerplay their score read 41-3. To make matters worse the big hitting Russell was dismissed in the very next over.

One batsman for the Kings who did look in complete control was Laurie Evans. His knock kept them alive for a greater part of the game. He was dismissed in the 13th over after scoring 59 runs off just 33 balls. His knock included five boundaries and four sixes. His wicket was probably the final nail for the Viikings.

The Colombo side was eventually bundled out after scoring only 147 runs in 18.4 overs. Each and every bowler from the Dambulla team returned with at least one wicket to his name. Dasun Shanaka was awarded man of the match for his brilliant knock with the bat which helped his side reach a match winning total.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

So far in the race of SL T20I captain,

Dasun Shanaka is ahead than Kusal Perera.#LPL2020

— Poornama Edirisooriya🇱🇰 (@iam_poor9) December 1, 2020

Viiking Skipper Dasun Shanaka in #LPL

73 (37) vs #KT
35 (21) vs #JS
56 (34) vs #CK

164 runs from 3 Innings. He is the Highest runs Scorer in #LPL2020 so far

— ⌫ ĸαѕυɴ ɴιrαɴjαɴ (@niranjan_69) December 1, 2020

Dasun Shanaka Scores in LPL 2020:

73(37)
35(21)
56(34)

Great leader and a explosive batsmen. #LPL2020

— Amjath AJ (@CricProfAJ) December 1, 2020

Dasun Shanaka in SL T20Is, Watch out.#LPL2020

— Arjun (@LifeIsAnElation) December 1, 2020

Impressive captaincy today from Dasun Shanaka. Good tactics.#LPL2020

— Sidath Sameera (@SidathSam) December 1, 2020

56, 35, 73, 128, 112, 23, 35, 30, 9, 0, 31*, 2, 130 & 52 – Dambulla Viiking skipper Dasun Shanaka's recent professional cricket scores (Most recent 1st). Scored 164 in the Lanka Premier League in 3 inns (Ave 54.66, SR 178.26). Dasun's captaincy has been outstanding. #Cricket 🇱🇰

— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) December 1, 2020

In the T20 leagues, his record is even more better.

Dasun Shanaka in the T20 leagues since 2018:

Runs- 234
Balls- 104
Strike rate- 225.00
4s/6s- 12/24#LPL

— Darpan Jain (@darpanjain103) December 1, 2020

Dasun Shanaka in the death overs since 2018:

Runs- 390
Balls- 206
Strike rate- 188.95
4s/6s- 25/31#LPL

— Darpan Jain (@darpanjain103) December 1, 2020